bcl-2 antisense therapy chemosensitizes human melanoma in SCID mice.
Malignant melanoma is a prime example of cancers that respond poorly to various treatment modalities including chemotherapy. A number of chemotherapeutic agents have been shown recently to act by inducing apoptosis, a type of cell death antagonized by the bcl-2 gene. Human melanoma expresses Bcl-2 in up to 90% of all cases. In the present study we demonstrate that bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide treatment improves the chemosensitivity of human melanoma grown in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Our findings suggest that reduction of Bcl-2 in melanoma, and possibly also in a variety of other tumors, may be a novel and rational approach to improve chemosensitivity and treatment outcome.
Jansen
B
B
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Schlagbauer-Wadl
H
H
Brown
B D
BD
Bryan
R N
RN
van Elsas
A
A
Müller
M
M
Wolff
K
K
Eichler
H G
HG
Pehamberger
H
H
D000199:Actins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D000199:Actins; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D003606:Dacarbazine